nonrenewable

adjective

non·​re·​new·​able ˌnän-ri-ˈnü-ə-bəl 

-ˈnyü-

: not able to be renewed : not renewable

a nonrenewable service contract

especially : unable to be replaced or replenished once used

… most of the natural resources that we exploit for energy and minerals are nonrenewable. Once they have been used up, they cannot be replenished—at least in our lifetime.

—Sheldon Judson and Marvin E. Kauffman

A nonrenewable resource is a resource that cannot be replaced after it is used. Minerals and many fuels are nonrenewable resources.

—Dr. Timothy Cooney et al.

Physical and economic shortages of nonrenewable resources require research programs aimed at developing renewable replacement resources.

—Predicasts Technology Update

Lubbock is the principal city of the semi-arid southern High Plains of Texas, where the extensive, nonrenewable Ogallala aquifer is the major water resource.

—AAG Abstracts

Examples of nonrenewable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But, but — any resource saved is a plus; and the problems are often on the user end, so being conscientious actually matters; and for me, at least, the extra second to choose a different bin is a constant reminder to use nonrenewable resources sparingly. —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Fossils are considered a nonrenewable scientific resource. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024

But climate experts and advocates say the plan, which promotes some fossil fuel power generation, merely masks South Korea’s dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. —Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2023

The sale of the government’s stockpile of the nonrenewable element could exacerbate an existing supply shortage, Saha said. —Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024

Alongside its dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels, the Kremlin tends to treat human capital as another expendable commodity. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 1 Dec. 2023

However, many of these resources are finite or nonrenewable, and the extraction of such materials can be harmful to the environment. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

President Biden has nominated Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown to replace Milley. Tuberville, however, seemed unaware that Milley must leave his post after his four-year, nonrenewable term is up. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2023

Qatar has become one of richest countries in the world thanks to large deposits of oil and natural gas, resources the government knows are nonrenewable. —Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above